Special report:Iran Nuclear Crisis

    WASHINGTON, July 10 (Xinhua) -- The United States urged on Monday Iran to respond to an offer presented to it by the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany early June and insisted that the six weeks in the run-up to the Group of Eight summit in mid-July was "quite long enough."

    "I think any reasonable person would say six weeks is quite long enough to consider that," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a briefing.

    "They have had plenty of time. They have had plenty of time at this point to provide an answer to the question that was put before them," McCormack said.

    Leaders of the Group of Eight major industrial countries are expected to begin the annual meeting in Russia's Saint Petersburg on July 15.

    The United States has repeatedly urged Iran to respond to the offer designated to try to solve Iran's thorny nuclear issue in weeks rather than months, and threatened that it will seek United Nations Security Council sanctions if Iran does not show cooperation.

    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said Iran will make a response to the offer on Aug. 22 and the United States has dismissed this as too late. Enditem